Egg candling device



Sept. 15, 1956.

Original Filed June 28, 1954 J. M HENRY EGG CANDLING DEVICE Q 5Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. James M flmr ATTORNEY.

N w m 4 J. M HENRY EGG CANDLING DEVICE Original Filed June 28, 1934 A 5Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORQ James /W/-/@ 7/" BY ATTORNEY.

Sept. 15, 1936.

J. M HENRY EGG CANDLING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed June 28,1934 Jot mes M f/ w y Avg.

Patented Sept. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE EGG CANDLING DEVICEg an Original application June 28, 1934, Serial No. 732,803. Divided andthis application July 20,

1935, Serial No. 32,393

4 Claims. (Cl. 88-143) This invention is a division of my applicationSerial Number 732,803, filed June 28, 1934 which issued into UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 2,020,511, November 12, 1935, and relates tomachines for testing and grading eggs and particularly to that type ofmachine wherein the eggs are moved over a source of light by means of anendless conveyor and graded as to size by determination of weight.

An object of the invention is the provision of an improved egg candlingand grading machine which is designed to overcome many of the operatingobjections inherent in present known devices of this kind.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter referred to wherein the forward and reverse rotation of theegg carrying elements is made automatic and positive thereby eliminatingany tendency for the eggs to become jammed between a rotating andnon-rotating element.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an egg testingmachine which will have greater efiiciency and be more economical tooperate than devices of this character heretofore known.

The foregoing objects and other advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent as the description proceeds, reference being made fromtime to time to the drawings forming part of the disclosure, in whichdrawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the loading mechanism ofmy device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional View taken along line 55 ofFig. l.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the rotating andreciprocating mechanism of the egg candling sub-unit of the machineillustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view taken along lines 1-! of Fig. 6.

Referring now, with more particularity, to the drawings it will be seenthat the working elements of the machine are carried and supported by asuitable structural frame consisting of pairs of upright side membersI5, l6, l1 and I8 and longitudinal brace members I9 which are preferablysecured to the aforementioned upright side members by rivets or othersuitable means,

Upon one of the side members I8 is mounted a self contained motor andreduction gear 20, to which is connected a line shaft 2| which extendslongitudinally along one side of the machine proper and supplies themotive power to the various elements hereinafter described. The pairs ofupright side members I5 and I6 are further connected to each other bymeans of longitudinally extending channel irons 22 and 23 whichcompletes the frame for the loading mechanism which is designed toremove the eggs from cartons 24, (Fig. 4), and feed. them to thecandling and weighing units hereinafter described. It is the commercialpractice to pack six eggs in a row each way in a carton which explainsthe reason for my device having six longitudinal runways and sixcurvatures on'each conveyor.

Egg cartons normally have deep nests in which the eggs are carried andthe nests rest upon a heavy base member 25 which cannot easily beremoved from under a carton, therefore a complete turnover has to beeffected in order to quickly remove the eggs from the cartons and placethem on the conveying belt 26, as is illustrated in Fig. 4. This isaccomplished in the following manner: On top of the horizontal channelmembers 22 and 23, are mounted brackets 26 and 21, which provide thebearings for a drive shaft 28 upon which is fixedly placed a suitableroller 29. Near the top of the upright side members I5 bearings 30,and3| are provided to receive the shaft 32 upon which is also fixedlymounted a pulley 33 which is of suflicient diameter to allow an eggcarton to travel along its outside periphery without bending the carton.Surrounding the pulley 33 isa curved guard'member 34, having inturnededges, which forms an inverted U-shaped channel through which thecartons pass. The guard 34 is held in place by brackets 35 which aresecured to members l5. A conveyor belt 36 extends tightly over theroller 29 and pulley 33 and travels in the direction indicated by anarrow. The outside periphery of said belt is divided into equal spacesby strips of rubber 31, which are securely fastened thereto, by anysuitable means, leaving suflicient space between the strips to receive acarton of eggs, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The strips 31 provide apositive drive for the cartons and no slippage along the path of travelis possible. The cartons, after making a degree turn, will emerge fromthe guard 34, at point 38, with the base 25 resting on top and thus willpass on to a secondary conveyor belt 39, (Fig. 4)

; stud 45, which is securely fastened to member IS. A second pulley 46is disposed in line with pulley 44, which is keyed to the end of theshaft 28. A drive belt 41 travels over the last named pulleys andsupplies the operating power for the egg feeding unit. An idling roller48, fastened to the shaft 49, which is journaled in members 22 and 23,is suitably located so as to produce a break in the direction of travelof the conveyor belt 39, and assures a parallel passage, as indicated at58, between the upper and lower conveyor belts 36 and 39. Roller 5|moves freely upon shaft 52 which extends between the upright framemembers l5 and aids to support the conveyor belt 39. All of theaforementioned members so arranged will co-operate to transport thecomplete carton of eggs to the horizontal table-like portion 53 of theconveyor belt 39, where the carton 24 and the base 25 may easily beremoved, leaving the eggsfree to travel under the dividing bridge 54toward the candling unit. The member 54 consists of a strip of sheetmetal which is formed with off-sets at each end to elevate it from'theportion 53 of the conveyor 39 and is securely riveted to the framemembers 22 and '23 respectively. Secured to the underside of bridge 54is a plurality of wedge-shaped rubber partitions 55, adapted to directthe individual eggs into the proper channels for candling andinspection.

In order to retard the momentum of the falling eggs, when passing fromthe portion 53, of the conveyor belt 39, at point 56, a shock-ab sorbingrubber band 51 is stretched between the members l6 and I5 (Fig. 1).

. The elements constituting the sub-unit intended for candling the eggsare supported by the upright side members 6 and I1 and the channelmembers 58 and 59, and the side rails 60 and 6|, which are secured toone another by welding or other suitable means.

The egg conveying system of the candling unit, consists of a continuouslink-belt arrangement 63, having a plurality of rollers 62 fastenedthere, by means of protruding lugs 64 as illustrated in 'Fig. 3. Therollers 62 are preferably made of soft rubber cast around a steel shaft65.

Each of the rubber rollers 62 is provided with six concave surfaces 66,which produce between themselves, cradle like openings 61 in which theeggs are' supported and held apart so as to expose aconsider'abl'eportion of the eggs to a. light source. Disposed at one end of eachroller 62 is a pinion '68 which is press-fitted onto the rod 65. Eachpinion is adapted to mesh during part of its longitudinal travel, with arack 69 which is slidably supported by the side rail 58. As the pinionsmesh with the rack 69 a positive rotation is imparted to the rollers 62and to the eggs 16, which are supported by such rollers, and when therack 69 is moved longitudinally, as will be explained hereinafter, apositive reverse rotation is imparted to the rollers 62 and to the eggs10.

The action just described makes possible a thorough inspection of theeggs and obviates the difficulty, often encountered in machines of thischaracter, of having the eggs caught and broken or checked betweenrotating roller and. one which fails to rotate because of one reason oranother.

The complete link-belt conveyor 63 receives its motive power through aworm gear reduction "drive, encased in gear-box 1|, which is coupled tothe main drive shaft 2| and to the drive shaft 12 which is journaled inthe upright side members l1 and upon which are fixedly mounted suitabledriving sprockets 13 adapted to engage the link-belt members 63 causingthem to move in the direction indicated by an arrow, (Fig. 2).

Upon the free end of the shaft 12 is keyed an eccentric plate 14 towhich is secured a stud 15 adapted to impart a reciprocable motion tothe push and pull plate 16, through a conventional connecting rod 11.cured to the rack 69 by means of screws 18 (Fig. 3). A guide-block 88 issecured to the underside of the side rail 58 by means of screws 8|, saidguide block :88 being formed with a longitudinal slot 82 adapted toengage the rack 69 and guide said rack. The guide block 80 is providedwith a transverse slot 83 adapted to engage the push and pullplate 16.The rotation of the eggs 10 begins immediately upon the engagement ofpinions 68 with rack 69 and ceases after their disengagement.

Positioned below the upper course of rollers 62 of the link-beltconveyor 63, is a light source 84, consisting preferably of one or moretubular bulbs supported longitudinally in a reflector 85, which issecured at one side to the member 59 and at the other side to the guideblock 80, in such manner that the light rays are directed through theopenings 61.

After the rollers 62, constituting the conveyor 63, have passed over thelight source 84 and the riciprocating rack 69, the rollers62 cease torotate and the conveyor passes the eggs on to the succeeding sub-unit.

' In order to help support the conveyor 63 and maintain its alignment, aseries of idling shafts and sprockets are provided as indicated at 86,the latter having their bearings in the upright side members I6 and I1respectively. In order to further support the weight of the conveyor 63and eliminate considerable friction of the moving parts, a steel roller81 is rotatably mounted on each endof each respective shaft 65, and heldin place by the threaded ends 88 of shaft and nut 89. The rollers 81 areadapted to engage the rails 96 which are-placed along the inside ofchannel members 58 and 59 respectively. The returning or slack portionof the conveyor 63 is supported by- 'the horizontal flanges 9| of theangle-iron frame members 60 and 6|.

After the eggs are candled and inspected they are transported to theweighing and grading sub-unit of the machine which is fully disclosed inmy co-pending application hereinabove referred to.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described the combination of a frame,shafts journaled in said frame, sprockets on said shafts, endless linkbelts arrangedto travel over said sprockets, said endless link-beltshaving a plurality of resilient rollers rotatably mounted thereto, eachof said rollers having a pinion secured thereto, a rack slidablysupported by said frame and arranged to engage said pinions, a push-pullplate secured to said rack, a connecting rod movably secured at one endto said plate and at the other end to an eccentric positioned on one ofsaid shafts, and means for driving said endless link belts and saideccentric.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a frame,shafts journaled in said frame, sprockets on said shafts, endless linkbelts arranged to travel over said sprockets, a plurality of lugssecured to said link belts, shafts journaled in said lugs, each of saidshafts supporting a fixedly mounted resilient roller, a pinion securedto each of said last named shafts, said pinions being arranged to meshintermittently with a reciprocable rack mounted on said frame, means fordriving said link belts, means for reciprocating said rack and means forcausing rays of light to be cast between the said resilient rollers frombelow, while said rollers are in the vicinity of said rack.

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a frame,including upper and lower longitudinally disposed track members, asource of light positioned between said upper and lower tracks, shafts,including at least one drive shaft, journaled in said frame, sprocketson said shafts, endless link belts arranged to travel over saidsprockets, a plurality of lugs secured to said link belts, a pluralityof small shafts journaled in said lugs, resilient rollers fixed to saidlast named shafts, a comparatively small wheel freely mounted at eachend of each of saidsmall shafts, said wheels being arranged to travel onsaid track members to help support said endless link belts and saidrollers, a pinion secured to each of said rollers, a reciprocating racksupported by said frame and arranged to engage said pinions, a push-pullplate secured to said rack, a connecting rod, movably secured at one endto said plate and at the other end to an eccentric fixed to said driveshafts, and means for motivating said drive shaft.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame,including upper and lower track members, a cradle like reflectingelement positioned between said track members, a light source positionedwithin and supported by said reflecting element, shafts journaled insaid frame, an endless link belt arranged to travel over said shafts andsaid track members, a plurality of resilient rollers journalled in saidlink melt, pinions on said rollers, a. rack slidably mounted on saidframe and arranged to engage said pinions as the rollers pass over saidlight source, and means for reciprocating said rack, said meanscomprising a push-pull plate secured to said rack and a connecting rodpivoted to said plate and to a driving eccentric.

JAMES MCHENRY.

